Electrical and electronic devices should be protected from high voltage levels. Electrical disturbances in the atmosphere have long posed perilous problems to electrical devices. When lightning strikes an electrical power line, high voltage levels or spikes are sent over the line directly to communication or computer devices serviced by that line. This problem, nowadays, has become particularly troublesome since many of these systems are left powered on to receive faxes, e-mail, etc. When operational during a thunderstorm, the likelihood of damage from a lightning strike is greater than if these devices were completely powered down.
Most severe weather storms are accompanied by the occurrence of lightning flashes which result in a naturally occurring wide-band radio frequency transmission. The resulting transmission ordinarily interferes with reception of signals from radio broadcast transmission, and can advantageously be utilized to detect the occurrence of the lightning flashes within the range of a radio receiver to indicate the approach of severe weather long before there is any other indication. In most cases, lightning induced interference can be heard on ordinary radio receivers three to four hours before the accompanying storm arrives in the area of the receiver, and long before the storm is visible.
The conventional approach for protecting electrical devices from damaging voltage levels involves utilization of passive devices. These passive devices cause power to be removed from the protected devices via disconnecting the attached electrical power line interface after high voltage levels or spikes are actually detected, i.e., after a storm has already reached a magnitude that can damage or even destroy the electrical devices. Therefore, lacking in the prior art is a protection system that protects electrical equipment before a storm reaches a perilous magnitude.
In addition to passive protection devices, expensive complex devices, such as radar, have been used to detect the approach of a storm. As a less costly alternative, an ordinary amplitude modulated (AM) radio receiver tuned to receive selected radio frequency signals generated by lightning flashes may be utilized to detect an approaching storm. However, once the AM radio receiver detects the signals characteristic of a storm, additional means must be undertaken to notify the user. This extra effort is not optimally efficient because notifying the user adds to the expense of providing a lightning detection system so that protective measures may be undertaken. Therefore, also lacking in the prior art is a satisfactory and economical means for detecting and providing notification of the approach of a storm.
There is a need for a lightning detection system for the protection of electrical devices wherein the detection system notifies a user before the lightning storm reaches a perilous magnitude. Specifically, there is a need for such a system that is economical and does not result in redundant parts and circuitry when interfaced with communication and computer devices.